As חז”ל [Ḥazal] taught us, on ראש השנה [Rosh Hashanah] we elevate puns from the lowest form of humor to the highest religious experience.
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The foods suggested by our Sages had names in Aramaic or Hebrew that symbolized hopes for the new year —
here is a list of foods with English names for those of us for whom English is our vernacular: |
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SQUASH so that Gd will squash your enemies
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SAGE for wisdom
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TARRAGON so terror will be gone
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SUNFLOWER SEEDS for illumination
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AVOCADOS for divine advocacy
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CASHEWS for financial success (but some customarily do not eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah)
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PLANTAINS so all your plans will be attained
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SOLE for spiritual depth
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DATES for successful romance
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JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES for an end to exile and a rebuilt Jerusalem
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POMEGRANATES so we will be soft like pom-poms but tough like granite
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CHERRIES for a year of cheer
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GRAINS for brains
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PASSIONFRUIT for passion and/or compassion
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BERRIES to bury the past
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TURKEY or KEY LIMES to unlock a good future
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COFFEE to breathe easy
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MUSHROOMS for a speedy end to homelessness
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PEAS for peace
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LEEK for structural integrity or keeping confidence
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CORN for humor
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- Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s “The Vegetable Gardener”
Contributor: Stephen Belsky
Co-authors:
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Name: Stephen Belsky
Bio: A native of Brooklyn, New York, Stephen Belsky is a graduate of the Yeshiva of Flatbush, the State University of New York at Binghamton, and the Educators Program of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. He received semikha at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and while studying there held internships at Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford, Connecticut, and the International Rabbinic Fellowship. Before starting semikha, Stephen taught at the Schechter high school in Teaneck, New Jersey, and after ordination, he returned to education, teaching Jewish Studies in the middle and high school divisions of Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield, Michigan. In addition to classroom teaching, Stephen has taught and lectured both in his local community and in synagogues across the eastern United States.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/stephen-belsky
Featured Image:
Title: Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s “The Vegetable Gardener”
Caption: Giuseppe Arcimboldo's "The Vegetable Gardener"